NVC Students Present Posters on Cultural Anthropology Research
December 11, 2024
Fourteen NVC students from the Cultural Anthropology (ANTH 2351) course conducted poster presentations of their eight-week ethnographic research projects on Wednesday, Dec. 11 in Live Oak Hall.
Each student selected a specific place, organization, or group on the Northwest Vista campus and conducted eight weeks of qualitative ethnographic research at the place and/or with the people they selected. Some students also utilized quantitative research through digital surveys, archival data, and other methods of data collection.
This was the first time the Cultural Anthropology course has held poster presentations outside of the classroom. Students, faculty, and staff attended this unique opportunity to engage with students and their anthropological research.
“This experiential learning project gives students the opportunity to do tangible, challenging anthropological work, and not just read about it,” said NVC Associate Professor and Anthropology Discipline Coordinator Adam Aguirre. “Posters are a creative way to present sometimes complex qualitative data.”
Students used ethnography to conduct participant observation and interviewing research methods to understand the culture of the chosen place, organization, or group the way that people most familiar with it understand it - as an insider. Participant observation includes active engagement with the field site while taking fieldnotes with in-depth descriptions.
Aguirre explains that systematically studying and then critically analyzing the data can reveal important themes and insight and is used by industry professionals to inspire positive change and improve the quality of life for individuals and communities.
“Through this research, students can provide their perspectives and lived experiences to college administrators, faculty, and staff that can be obfuscated by other forms of data,” said Aguirre.
The students who presented posters are studying in the cultural anthropology discipline and across other disciplines within the college.
Jonathan Ayala in the class put together a video that documents reasons students gave for why students are shy with one another or don't interact.
Northwest Vista College (NVC), part of the Alamo Colleges District, is federally designated as a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI), an institution of higher learning with a full-time equivalent undergraduate student enrollment that is at least 25% Hispanic. As of Fall 2023, NVC’s Hispanic student enrollment is 66.2%. The college opened in 1995 with 12 students and has grown to one of the largest institutions of higher education in San Antonio and the region with current enrollment over 20,000 students. Located in Westover Hills, NVC’s expanding agreements with business and higher education partnerships provide a wealth of opportunities for students and the community.